Is there a better way to get in and out of my car?

The other day I was speaking with one of my patients who have a history of chronic lower back pain and she mentioned to me that getting in and out of her car was always difficult. It always seems to cause pain and discomfort in her lower back.

This reminded me of a case I had some years ago with a pleasant elderly woman who had a similar complaint. She drove a beautiful large old Cadillac that she simply adored and had no intention of parting with! As she left the clinic that day I went to the window and watched her getting into the Caddy.

The next time she visited the clinic we had a discussion about her persistent back pain and her Cadillac!

I made a simple suggestion that really did make a difference so I shared it with my patient the other day and now I’m going to share it with you. If getting in and out of your car seems to bother your lower back, give this method a try.

When getting into your car, place your butt into the seat first, and then swing your legs into the car as a unit. This is a bit different than the way most of us get into our cars, as we usually put our right leg in first and work our way onto the seat, and then get our left leg in and close the door.

Conversely, when exiting the car, once again swing your legs to the left as a unit, and then rise out of the car. Basically the opposite of the way we got into the car in the first place.

Having lower back pain getting in and out of the car? Give this method a try and see if it helps.

If you have further questions about your lower back pain and what can be done about it, give me a call and we can help find a solution!

Dr. Jeffrey K. Tunick

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